Industry News

MTN Group recorded strong financial growth in the first half of 2026, with service revenue increasing 17.5% to R115 billion, driven by sustained demand for connectivity and digital services across its African markets.

The telecommunications group’s adjusted EBITDA also rose by almost 25% to R56 billion for the six months ended June 2026, reflecting stronger commercial performance across key markets including MTN Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon.

The results come as MTN advances its Ambition 2030 strategy, which focuses on sustainable growth, digital transformation and long-term shareholder value.

MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita said the strong performance demonstrates the group’s ability to convert growing customer demand into stronger earnings, cash flow and returns.

The group invested nearly R20 billion in capital expenditure during the period to expand mobile networks, connect more homes and modernise its IT infrastructure.

MTN served 317.7 million customers across 19 markets at the end of June, including more than 179 million active data users. Data traffic increased by nearly 23% to 14.3 petabytes, highlighting continued growth in digital connectivity.

MTN’s fintech business also recorded significant expansion, with 70.8 million active Mobile Money users. Fintech transaction value increased by more than a third to $330 billion, while transaction volumes reached 13 billion.

The group said its diversified African footprint, strong balance sheet and continued investment in connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure position it to remain resilient amid economic and geopolitical pressures.

Overall, MTN’s first-half performance highlights strong growth momentum across its African operations and increasing demand for digital and financial services across the continent.

Source : www. punchng.com

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has directed that all Rural Telephony sites across Ghana be upgraded to a minimum of 4G.

Speaking during an inspection of Rural Telephony projects in the Eastern Region, Mr George said rural communities should no longer be limited to 2G and 3G connectivity as Ghana advances towards 5G and future technologies.

He said the upgrade would improve network quality, customer experience and help reduce congestion, while ensuring rural communities are not left behind in Ghana’s digital transformation.

The Minister also called for telecommunications infrastructure to receive the same investment priority as other critical infrastructure, including roads and hospitals.

He stressed the need for a deliberate national decision to modernise existing rural telephony sites to at least 4G and prepare them for future 5G deployment.

Source : www.myjoyonline.com

Less than 0.3% of MTN Mobile Money users in Ghana actively invest, despite the platform processing more than 26 million transactions daily, according to Shaibu Haruna, CEO of MobileMoney Fintech Limited (MMFL).

Speaking at the MTN Group Fintech Summit 2026 in Johannesburg, Haruna said high transaction volumes should not automatically be viewed as evidence of a mature fintech market.

He noted that only a small proportion of users regularly save or invest, highlighting a gap between the widespread use of mobile money for transactions and its adoption for broader financial growth.

Haruna urged fintech providers to move beyond transaction volumes and focus on expanding access to savings, investments and credit that can improve customers’ financial wellbeing.

He said the future of fintech should be measured not only by the amount of money moving through digital platforms, but by the extent to which those platforms help customers achieve meaningful financial progress.

The discussion reflected a broader challenge across African markets, where mobile money adoption has grown rapidly but savings, investment and credit services have not expanded at the same pace.

Haruna said closing this gap represents a key opportunity for fintech providers to deepen financial inclusion and deliver greater value to customers.

Source : www. newsghana.com.gh

Telecel Ghana has increased its capital investment by 60% between 2023 and 2026, with investment rising from about $893 million to nearly $1.5 billion, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has disclosed.

The increased investment includes about 2,900 network site upgrades, with infrastructure being migrated from 3G to 4G to expand faster and more reliable mobile broadband services.

Mr. George said the investment reflects Telecel’s growing commitment to strengthening Ghana’s telecom infrastructure and improving network coverage and service quality nationwide.

Source : www.citinewsroom.com

Huawei is reportedly being considered as Malaysia’s preferred supplier of AI chips for a proposed MYR2 billion ($494 million) sovereign AI initiative.

Malaysia is assessing Huawei’s Ascend 910C AI chips as it seeks to build greater control over national data and strengthen its domestic AI capabilities.

If selected, Huawei could provide the core AI computing infrastructure for Malaysia’s ambition to become an “AI nation” by 2030”, marking a significant expansion of Huawei’s role in sovereign AI infrastructure.

Source : www.mobileworldlive.com

MTN Group, through MTN Digital Infrastructure, has partnered with a UAE-based data centre investment platform to accelerate the development of AI-ready digital infrastructure across Africa.

The partnership will operate through Africa Data Hub Holding Limited, with an initial focus on South Africa and Nigeria. It will combine MTN’s extensive African footprint, infrastructure assets and market expertise with the partner’s data centre investment, development and operational experience.

MTN’s digital connectivity business, Bayobab, will provide open-access connectivity and go-to-market support through its pan-African network, helping customers access digital infrastructure services across multiple markets.

According to MTN, the initiative supports its Ambition 2030 strategy and aims to meet growing demand for cloud computing, enterprise services, digital applications and AI workloads.

MTN Group Digital Infrastructure CEO Mazen Mroué said the partnership will bring investment, infrastructure expertise, connectivity and market access together to support hyperscalers, cloud providers, enterprises and technology innovators across Africa.

The initiative is expected to strengthen Africa’s digital infrastructure ecosystem and support innovation, economic inclusion and the continent’s growing role in the global digital economy.

Source : www.itnewsafrica.com

A survey conducted by ITWeb in partnership with Huawei and BNI shows that South African businesses are increasingly shifting their focus from basic infrastructure resilience to modernising complex IT environments to support AI, cloud and other emerging workloads.

Huawei Partner Development Manager Paseka Mike Selepe said organisations have made significant investments in resilience, but the growing challenge is developing the skills and capabilities needed to manage increasingly complex infrastructure.

The survey found that 88% of respondents considered their IT environments resilient to external pressures, while 89% were confident their organisations could continue operating if their core IT infrastructure was disrupted.

However, readiness for AI-driven workloads remains mixed. 48% said their infrastructure was partially ready and required upgrades, while 35% considered their environments fully ready and scalable. Huawei noted that this highlights the need for infrastructure that is more automated, programmable and adaptable.

Huawei also identified integration, standardisation and visibility as key priorities. While 40% of organisations reported fully standardised and centrally managed networks, others continue to operate fragmented environments across branches and locations, increasing operational costs and making security and troubleshooting more difficult.

On security, Huawei is advocating for stronger identity-based access and Zero Trust approaches as organisations connect more users, devices and IoT systems. Selepe stressed that authentication is increasingly becoming a business-enablement issue rather than simply a security control.

Looking ahead, 45% of respondents expect significant modernisation of their data centre and network environments within the next two to three years, including automation, software-defined networking and cloud integration.

Huawei says successful modernisation will not simply be about replacing technology, but about aligning technology, skills and operating models to help businesses respond faster to changing demands, improve security and support digital growth.

Source : Source : www.techafricanews.com

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has intensified public education in the Eastern Region to address concerns about the construction and safety of telecommunications masts and towers.

The campaign followed public concerns over a telecommunications mast at the Koforidua-Kumasi Lorry Station. NCA officials engaged traders, transport operators and commuters at the Koforidua Central Market and also extended the exercise to Adawso.

The Authority used one-on-one engagements, information centres and radio sensitisation programmes to educate the public on the role of telecommunications infrastructure and address concerns surrounding radio frequency exposure.

Participants were informed that telecom masts operate within internationally accepted safety limits and are deployed under regulatory, technical, structural, environmental and safety requirements.

The NCA said telecommunications infrastructure remains critical to reliable voice and data services, emergency communications, broadcasting, digital financial services and broader socio-economic development.

The Authority encouraged the public to seek information from credible sources and said it would continue its consumer education and stakeholder engagement efforts to promote greater understanding and confidence in communications technologies.

Source : www.techafricanews.com

Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has inaugurated a new Board of Directors for Airtel Ghana Limited and PPL Net Ghana Limited, in a move aimed at strengthening governance and revitalising the country’s telecommunications sector.

The board was sworn in by the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, during a ceremony attended by key government and industry officials, including the Director General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte.

Addressing the newly appointed directors, George stressed the need to restore formal corporate governance and establish a stronger foundation for the companies’ long-term operations. He tasked the board with addressing outstanding audited accounts, updating corporate records with the Registrar of Companies and ensuring compliance with relevant corporate requirements.

Kpessa-Whyte urged the new leadership to focus on improving operational efficiency and making better use of the companies’ assets. He also called on the board to position the entities as competitive market players capable of generating sustainable returns and dividends for the Ghanaian public.

The newly constituted board comprises Hilary Denise Arko-Dadzie, Eric Yaw Nsarkoh, Dr Faith Setor Quashigah, Lawrence Attipoe, Gabriel Opoku-Asare and Leo Skarlatos. Following the administration of the Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy, the directors formally assumed their responsibilities.

Board Chair Hilary Denise Arko-Dadzie expressed confidence in the new leadership, highlighting the combination of international experience and local expertise within the board. She pledged to prioritise corporate governance, accountability and digital innovation while demonstrating Ghanaian expertise in building and sustaining globally competitive telecommunications institutions.

The inauguration marks a new phase for Airtel Ghana and PPL Net Ghana, with the government expecting the restored governance structure to support stronger operational performance, market competitiveness and improved service delivery.

Source : www. techafricanews.com

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has called for stronger collaboration among financial institutions, telecommunications companies, fintechs, government agencies and the public to combat rising cybercrime and protect Ghana’s expanding digital finance ecosystem.

The Director-General of the CSA, Mr Devine Selase Agbeti, made the call at the media launch of the 2026 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, scheduled for October 1 to 31, under the theme: “Securing Ghana’s Digital Finance Ecosystem: Building Trust through Collaboration and Cyber Resilience.”

Mr Agbeti said government alone could not win the fight against cybercrime, stressing that a coordinated approach among stakeholders was essential to safeguarding Ghana’s digital economy.

Figures from the CSA show that 3,876 cybersecurity incidents were reported between January and July 2026, with online fraud accounting for 1,818 cases, representing about 47 per cent of all reported incidents.

He also cited the Bank of Ghana’s 2025 fraud report, which recorded an increase in reported fraud cases across banks, specialised deposit-taking institutions and payment service providers from 16,733 in 2024 to 24,778 in 2025, representing a 48 per cent increase.

According to Mr Agbeti, the growing reliance on digital payments, electronic salary payments, mobile money and online commerce has expanded opportunities for economic activity but also increased the avenues available to cybercriminals.

“Every expansion in digital access also expands the surface area that criminals seek to exploit.”

He said the awareness campaign would focus on helping citizens and institutions identify and prevent cyber-enabled financial crimes, including online investment scams, romance scams, business email compromise, identity theft, impersonation and social engineering.

The Deputy Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Mr Mohammed Adam Sukparu, described cybersecurity as a shared national responsibility and urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in building a safer digital environment.

The month-long campaign will feature public education and stakeholder engagements aimed at promoting safer digital financial practices and strengthening cyber resilience across Ghana.

Source : www. ghanaiantimes.com.gh